Former Super Eagles manager Jose Peseiro has named Victor Boniface as the reason for Nigeria's failure at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024).
The Portuguese manager is of the view that his maiden Nations Cup tournament would have been a success had the Bayer 04 Leverkusen forward featured for the Super Eagles in Ivory Coast at AFCON 2024.
Boniface was originally named in Peseiro’s team but had to withdraw due to injury. The 23-year-old was replaced by Terem Moffi.
In his absence, the Super Eagles secured a second-place finish after losing to host nation, Ivory Coast in the final, ending their dream of winning a fourth Nations Cup title.
Boniface joined the Super Eagles to prepare for the tournament riding a sparkling form for his German club, where he scored 16 goals and provided eight assists to his teammates across all competitions.
Peseiro laments Boniface's absence from Super Eagles squad
The 63-year-old stated, “I will say that Boniface would have made the difference without injury. He was very confident and can play comfortably in our two-man attacking style. He can also play on both sides of the strikers and that would have made him our invisible arc in the tournament. Our options to refine our style were limited in his absence.”
The unavailability of Boniface ensured the Super Eagles would rely on the services of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Paul Onuachu and Terem Moffi.
However the aforementioned players could only manage four goals in the competition.
How a two-man strike force could have benefited the Super Eagles
Rather than use Osimhen as the focal point in attack, Peseiro could have instead deployed the Napoli striker alongside Boniface in a 4-4-2 formation.
While some would expect Osimhen to be the most advanced striker, Boniface could drop deep and leave Osimhen as the farthest man with Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon making runs behind the strike pair as and when required.
As stated by Peseiro, Boniface's ability to play on either side of the flanks would have allowed him to move across the field in search of possession, thus aiding in spreading play.
With the space vacated by Lookman and Simon, and their markers dragged out of position, Boniface could capitalise on that and wreak havoc.
Boniface set to make injury return
Boniface has been out of action since January after sustaining an adductor injury during Nigeria's preparation for the AFCON.
An MRI scan revealed the extent of the injury, necessitating corrective surgery. He was expected to return to the pitch in April.
However, a picture of the Nigerian international training recently surfaced, indicating that he will be returning to the pitch soon.
Xabi Alonso, Boniface's manager at Leverkusen expressed optimism about Boniface's recovery.
“His [Boniface's] development is very good; the recovery is going in the right direction. That’s very positive,” Alonso told Bild. “We expect Boniface soon, I don’t know, but it won’t be until May, maybe April, and that’s very good for us, having Boniface back. Boni works very well, with great professionalism, twice a day. We need players who have the desire to be back.”
Boniface joined the Bundesliga side last summer from Belgian Pro League outfit, Union St Gilloise in a deal worth €20million. Despite the injury setback, he remains one of the most-talked-about players ahead of the opening of the summer transfer window.
English clubs Chelsea and Arsenal, Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus, and Napoli are reportedly interested in signing the Nigerian who is valued at €40million by his club.
Boniface has been one of the shining stars of the Bundesliga in the 2023/24 campaign, having heavily contributed to Bayer Leverkusen’s rise to the top of the table.
